Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Forest? (Evanston, Skokie: neighborhoods, school)

[Hiruko]

I'm not sure what there is to explain further. I grew up in Evanston and Glencoe, and I know that many Jews move to places like Glencoe where they are clearly the majority to be in that atmosphere. It's about two decades old, but the book The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb by Irving Cutler is a good rundown of the Jewish history and demographics of suburban Chicago. Highland Park, Glencoe, and west Wilmette have very significant Jewish populations that greatly inform the communities. If you are interested in that, you'll probably like living there. If not, you might want to weigh that among your options. It's information to consider when considering your options. With regard to Draper, Utah, my understanding is that it's upwards of 50% LDS. That's similar to how Jewish Glencoe and Highland Park are based on my experience and the research in that book.

[chet everett]

20 years ago the only people on the Internet were researchers from universities.
Now the vast majority of folks with any sort of white collar job spend their whole day online. The well educated workforce that makes this happen is dominated by folks from Asian nations; many such workers have found the desirable schools of the North Shore to be excellent places to raise their family. Demographic information, broken out by school for the Illinois State Board of Education Interactive Reportcard confirms such shifts...

[porky847]

Thanks Hiruko! I appreciate your insightful input. My husband is Catholic(non practicing) and I'm unaffiliated. I'm in Glencoe often to get my hair done and I really love the small town feel it has. My ideal town is Lake Forest, but I think the commute downtown would drive me nuts. I really love Evanston as well, but my husband doesn't like the crime issue.

[Hiruko]

I'm glad I could be helpful. If you really like Lake Forest and Evanston, I think Winnetka or Glencoe could be a happy compromise. Both of them have that quiet small town feel, but are still close to Evanston for things like Whole Foods, the movie theater, nice restaurants, and the performing arts. If you don't need the train you might also look at northwest Evanston (60201) or Skokie/Evanston (60203). You should be able to find some 1920s Georgians and Colonials, as well as some sought-after Hemphill homes in those two areas. Northwest Evanston has the upscale Central Street shopping district that is very similar to the shopping districts of Winnetka and downtown Glencoe.

I've never had a problem with crime in Evanston, and I don't personally know anyone who has. Evanston police briefings are very detailed, and readily available on the city's website. The police are very proactive and engaged with the community. The most common crimes are identity theft, theft of items left unattended, and car break-ins (there are a lot of cars parked on the street in Evanston and Wilmette). I've never experienced any of those things, but those crimes are common everywhere including further north.

[ssuen]

We're a family with children still in school, moving to Chicago area. I have my eyes on Wilmette. It seems on the surface, looks like the town we're in now (population wise, income level, cultural diversity...) from reading the blogs, I've learned there is a large population of Jewish here, any other minorities? We're looking for a place that offers cultural diversity so our children can identify with (not identify with their race, but the environment of mix races and culturally diverse, and feel comfortable). Would like to hear from you. Thanks.

[damba]

Originally Posted by ssuen

We're a family with children still in school, moving to Chicago area. I have my eyes on Wilmette. It seems on the surface, looks like the town we're in now (population wise, income level, cultural diversity...) from reading the blogs, I've learned there is a large population of Jewish here, any other minorities? We're looking for a place that offers cultural diversity so our children can identify with (not identify with their race, but the environment of mix races and culturally diverse, and feel comfortable). Would like to hear from you. Thanks.

Nearby Evanston and Skokie are more diverse than Wilmette.

FWIW, maybe it’s the way you wrote your thoughts out above, but do you really consider people who are Jewish a minority(?)

[7Mike]

Originally Posted by ssuen

We're a family with children still in school, moving to Chicago area. I have my eyes on Wilmette. It seems on the surface, looks like the town we're in now (population wise, income level, cultural diversity...) from reading the blogs, I've learned there is a large population of Jewish here, any other minorities? We're looking for a place that offers cultural diversity so our children can identify with (not identify with their race, but the environment of mix races and culturally diverse, and feel comfortable). Would like to hear from you. Thanks.

New Trier: 84.9% White
Glenbrook South: 63.7% White
Glenbrook North: 77.2% White
Highland Park High: 70.4% White

Winnetka, Deerfield, Lake Forest are also around 88% white.

But even at the Glenbrooks, the diversity is really mostly just one other race…Asians.

As an Asian person, the north shore culture was great growing up here in the 80s & 90s. But I can’t speak for ethnicity that’s outside the White+Asian combo, since that’s a lot of the area.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by ssuen

We're a family with children still in school, moving to Chicago area. I have my eyes on Wilmette. It seems on the surface, looks like the town we're in now (population wise, income level, cultural diversity...) from reading the blogs, I've learned there is a large population of Jewish here, any other minorities? We're looking for a place that offers cultural diversity so our children can identify with (not identify with their race, but the environment of mix races and culturally diverse, and feel comfortable). Would like to hear from you. Thanks.

I don't consider Wilmette to be very diverse at all. Traditionally, the Jewish community has been centered around West Wilmette near Beth Hillel and Chabad. There have been quite a few families of East Asian background moving into that same area. My best friend's Jewish grandmother's immediate neighborhood is now about half Asian.

I think the level of diversity that you speak of is more likely to be found in Evanston or Skokie.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

It's not speculation. I live here, and I grew up here. I am giving you a first hand account of the ethnic and socioeconomic realities of the area, as well as the history behind it. If you do not know that Highland Park, Glencoe, and west Wilmette are associated with the Jewish community, you definitely are not from the area. Likewise, if you do not know that Lake Forest, Winnetka, and east Wilmette are associated with white gentiles, you are definitely not from the area. Precinct level election results are readily available, and they correlate with my first hand account of the local demographic makeup. These differences are very distinct for those of us that grew up here. I think people looking to move somewhere new should be made aware of the local culture, so that they can determine if that is something that they want or not. My analysis of the local housing market is corroborated by your information from Redfin.

Wilmette is changing. West Wilmette is as Asian as it is Jewish, and East Wilmette (east of Ridge) has a fair sprinkling of Jews (including me). If you consider only east of Green Bay to be East Wilmette, it's still probably most Mainline Protestant, but more politically liberal than conservative; at any rate, there were lots of Romney signs (including me) but almost no Trump signs.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

If you don't need the train you might also look at northwest Evanston (60201) or Skokie/Evanston (60203).

The train stops in Northwest Evanston, at Central Street.